Mahindra Thar
Published · Researched 2026-09-21
Mahindra Thar review: the dream machine with a diesel that hates the city
The Mahindra Thar is for the buyer who wants India's most characterful 4x4 — convertible, cult, go-anywhere — at ₹10.32–18 lakh (3-door) or ₹13–23 lakh (5-door Roxx), and who understands that owning one is a relationship, not a transaction. Bottom line: buy the petrol for love, the diesel for the mountains, and never the diesel for pure city duty.
What it is. A body-on-frame off-roader in the classic mould: 2.0L turbo-petrol (150 hp) or 2.2L diesel (130 hp), manual or torque-converter automatic, proper low-range 4WD, removable convertible top or hard top. The 5-door Thar Roxx (2024) adds usable rear seats, a real boot, and 5-star BNCAP safety for family money (₹12.99–22.49 lakh at launch). The 3-door got a Roxx-style update in October 2025 (₹10.32–18 lakh post-GST-cut). A bigger facelift is teased for September 22, 2026 — two days after this writing, so it doesn't exist yet for buying purposes.
What's genuinely good. The thing itself. Owners cross continents in these — 17,000 km in six months including Leh, Nubra, Pangong — and the Thar keeps giving. The petrol-auto is the sweetheart: smooth, quick, refined enough for daily use. The diesel-manual 4WD is the mountain goat: torquey, economical on the highway, unstoppable off it. The convertible top is joy you can't spec-sheet. Resale is cult-grade — Thars depreciate like they don't know the meaning of the word. The Roxx fixed the 3-door's real weakness (rear seats, boot) without killing the character, and earned a genuine 5-star BNCAP. And Mahindra's roadside assistance has literally flat-bedded Thars out of Zanskar — that's support with stories.
What's actually wrong. The diesel's emissions hardware. Say it plainly because stranded owners do: DPF clogging and DEF dosing failures (E21+/E22 errors) are the defining Thar complaint of this generation. One owner's dream Zanskar run ended on a flat-bed to Leh; another watched four cars come in with E22 errors in two days and is campaigning for a recall that doesn't exist. If your Thar diesel never leaves city traffic, the DPF will become your hobby — learn the regen drill or buy the petrol. Then the rest: a handbrake so weak it's "widespread... all over the web" and barely holds on inclines; a petrol engine that drinks in single digits around town; a 3-door rear seat that's decorative and a boot that's theoretical; a ride that's hard and bouncy on tarmac; and steering that throws ESP warnings after bad alignments. It's a body-on-frame off-roader — rattles are standard equipment. Skip this car if you want refinement, your diesel use is pure city crawling, you need rear-seat humans regularly (get the Roxx), or you think "lifestyle vehicle" means comfortable.
The social pulse. The Thar has Indian motoring's most emotionally invested owner base — they modify, they overland, they forgive almost everything. Almost. The DPF threads have a harder edge: people stranded on once-in-a-lifetime trips don't do forgiveness, and the owner-led DEF-valve recall campaign is a community organizing against its own brand. The Roxx split the base into purists and pragmatists, argued endlessly and affectionately. Nobody's astroturfing the Thar — the cult is real, the sales are real, and the complaints are specific enough to be believed.
The value call. 3-door: ₹10.32–18 lakh — the petrol-auto hard top around ₹15–16L is the smart buy for most. Roxx: ₹13–23 lakh — the diesel 4WD AX7L is the family adventurer's pick. Used: residuals are absurdly strong, which is great if you own one and terrible if you're buying one — pay the premium only for clean, unmodified examples. Nearest alternatives: Maruti Jimny (smaller, more refined, less presence, cheaper), Force Gurkha (more hardcore, less livable), used Wrangler money (don't). Sweet-spot year: 2024–2025 — documented niggles, Roxx available, post-GST-cut pricing, deepest knowledge base. Skip 2020–2021 — earliest DPF/DEF hardware, thinnest service experience.
The Thar is the rare car that's worth its compromises — if you buy the right engine for your life. Petrol for the city romantic, diesel-manual 4WD for the mountain regular, Roxx for the family. Get that choice wrong and the DPF will teach you the lesson personally.